Casbah of Bejaia

Bejaia was made a capital by the Hammadids in the eleventh century and became one of the major ports of the western Mediterranean, a centre of shipbuilding, wax export and learning where, among others, the mathematician Fibonacci learned the numerals he took back to Italy. The old quarter climbs the slope above the harbour with fragments of that history embedded in it: the Bab el Bahr sea gate, stretches of the medieval walls running up the hillside, the Casbah fort rebuilt in the Spanish and Ottoman periods, and the Bordj Moussa fort, which now houses the city museum. The lanes are steep, lived-in and largely undeveloped for visitors.

What to look for

• The Bab el Bahr sea gate - the medieval gate above the harbour.
• Walls climbing the hillside - the surviving medieval circuit.
• The Casbah fort - rebuilt in the Spanish and Ottoman periods.
• Bordj Moussa and the city museum - the fort holding the collections.

When to go

April to October. Half a day. Museums keep irregular hours. A local guide helps with orientation and with the history, which is not explained on site.

Practical notes

Much of the old quarter is in poor repair and some buildings are unsafe. There is almost no interpretation. Lanes are steep and confusing. The forts open irregularly and are sometimes closed without notice.

Nearby

Gouraya park rises behind; Cap Carbon lies west.